Bullet train? Yes or no? (Los Angeles, San Jose: mover, estimate, suburb)

[Reziac]

And apparently the project is now scrapped.

From https://www.city-journal.org/high-speed-rail-projects

"Governor Gavin Newsom has canceled the bulk of the state’s long-proposed high-speed line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, leaving only a tail of the once-grand project—a connection between the Central Valley’s Merced and Bakersfield, not exactly major metropolitan areas."
...
"In contrast with Western Europe, where several high-speed rail lines operate, the United States has huge distances between cities; its average population density is between three and ten times less compact than that of the European continent. Even on the California coast, a 450-mile high-speed rail trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco would have taken nearly four hours, compared with a one-hour plane ride. Imagine taking high-speed rail from Los Angeles to Chicago: a three-hour trip by plane becomes a 15-hour or longer trek across vast, empty spaces. During that time, the traveler would cover more high-speed rail mileage than the current length of the entire French system."

And another editorial that lays out some pretty obvious points that CA should have noticed before spending however-many billions (has there been any oversight??)

http://jewishworldreview.com/0219/McArdle021419.php3

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Reziac

And apparently the project is now scrapped.

From https://www.city-journal.org/high-speed-rail-projects

"Governor Gavin Newsom has canceled the bulk of the state’s long-proposed high-speed line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, leaving only a tail of the once-grand project—a connection between the Central Valley’s Merced and Bakersfield, not exactly major metropolitan areas."
...
"In contrast with Western Europe, where several high-speed rail lines operate, the United States has huge distances between cities; its average population density is between three and ten times less compact than that of the European continent. Even on the California coast, a 450-mile high-speed rail trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco would have taken nearly four hours, compared with a one-hour plane ride. Imagine taking high-speed rail from Los Angeles to Chicago: a three-hour trip by plane becomes a 15-hour or longer trek across vast, empty spaces. During that time, the traveler would cover more high-speed rail mileage than the current length of the entire French system."

And another editorial that lays out some pretty obvious points that CA should have noticed before spending however-many billions (has there been any oversight??)

Why the United States will never have high-speed rail - Megan McArdle

The 1-hr. plane ride comes with a long line at the security check counter beforehand, check-in, and wait-time to board. If I needed/wanted to go to LA from the Bay Area, I'd rather take a scenic train ride. Though I guess the Central Valley route wouldn't e all that scenic. Maybe I'd be better off taking the train down the coast. IDK. How much would the ride from NorCal to SoCal cost, does anyone know? I wonder how it compares to the Amtrak coastal route.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

The 1-hr. plane ride comes with a long line at the security check counter beforehand, check-in, and wait-time to board. If I needed/wanted to go to LA from the Bay Area, I'd rather take a scenic train ride. Though I guess the Central Valley route wouldn't e all that scenic. Maybe I'd be better off taking the train down the coast. IDK. How much would the ride from NorCal to SoCal cost, does anyone know? I wonder how it compares to the Amtrak coastal route.

Having ridden in trains in Europe and in CA, I can tell you that the one planned will be too long, too expensive and nothing like Europe. Direct up the coast or just inland between SF and LA makes sense, but the route chosen just made sense to contractors and the politicians they pay... oops I mean contribute to.

[tetka_grunya]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

The 1-hr. plane ride comes with a long line at the security check counter beforehand, check-in, and wait-time to board. If I needed/wanted to go to LA from the Bay Area, I'd rather take a scenic train ride. Though I guess the Central Valley route wouldn't e all that scenic. Maybe I'd be better off taking the train down the coast. IDK. How much would the ride from NorCal to SoCal cost, does anyone know? I wonder how it compares to the Amtrak coastal route.

I'd not count on absense of security check points for HSR stations. Any bomb going off on HSR train can take the same amount of lives as on plane.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by tetka_grunya

I'd not count on absense of security check points for HSR stations. Any bomb going off on HSR train can take the same amount of lives as on plane.

I suspect you are right -- normally for plane travel you have to figure in all the TSA and other standing-in-line, but why wouldn't they implement the same security (or security theatre as the case may be) for HSR?

[JB316]

Yes, but you cant run a train off of a rail line and in to a skyscraper or other similarly important target.

What’s the security like to get on a greyhound bus? That’s more similar to a train than a plane. And you can drive a bus into whatever you want...

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by JB316

Yes, but you cant run a train off of a rail line and in to a skyscraper or other similarly important target.

Targets are limited to what's within a few boxcar-lengths of the rail line, but train derailments can be made to happen easily enough, using nothing more complex than a couple bags of concrete. (This, in fact, is one of the arguments used against shipping crude oil by rail, despite that absent sabotage, derails are actually very rare.) Forty tons of railcar crashing into a Walmart would be just as deadly as a jet flying into a skyscraper.

[V8 Vega]

If they actually go 200 MPH any wreck is unsurvivable, and there will be wrecks.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Reziac

I suspect you are right -- normally for plane travel you have to figure in all the TSA and other standing-in-line, but why wouldn't they implement the same security (or security theatre as the case may be) for HSR?

Why wouldn't they? Because they're not implementing that for regular train service now. Why not? The same argument could be made (and has been made) about safety/security on the trains we have. Heck, why not implement security checks on all entrances to Times Square, NYC, and other high-trafficked spots?

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by V8 Vega

If they actually go 200 MPH any wreck is unsurvivable, and there will be wrecks.

China has had wrecks on theirs. Somebody could look that info up, and post here, how it played out.